Puck now in Hempstead’s court

A public hearing on the $3.7 billion Lighthouse project Tuesday went "as expected", according to developer Scott Rechler, RXR chief and a partner in the plan to redevelop the Nassau Coliseum and most of its massive parking lot.
Once the Hempstead Town Board decides to close the public comment period, it will either approve a zoning ...

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Since most of us general public folk are “amatuers” in the development game, it was appropriate for the Town Board to ask amatuerish questions so that we can all understand what is going on…and contrary to Rechler’s view, not all of us general public are in favor of this project. We already understand that the project is going to bring in jobs and increase tax revenues, etc., but at what cost. I live near the project site. I already have plenty of places to shop, am not interested in sports, can barely afford my taxes and already have problems getting out of my driveway because of local traffic conditions. All the tax revenues this project is going to bring in won’t lower my taxes. So what’s my benefit???? The Wang Team needs to start answering some of the tougher questions on the benefits of this project. I found it curiously interesting that Wang wasn’t ready to make any commitments to the town on some of the details of his project, like whether or not he intends on selling off parts of the project to other developers, yet is demanding a commitment from the town by 10/3.

Hey Scott your town is a dump already and that whole area by the coliseum is a dump. You want to to look at that ugly arena and a big waste of land. I am tired of everyone with the traffic BS we live on Long Island we are always gonna have traffic but we can build different roads to certain areas and public transportation. You obviously live in the past and I want a modern area I can go to and enjoy.

Scott, it’s a pretty good guess you are a moron who grew up licking the windows on little yellow school buses. “Since most of us general public folk are “amateurs” in the development game, it was appropriate for the Town Board to ask amateurish questions so that we can all understand what is going on”. Scott, since I was actually at the meeting I can say the questions were not amateur-ish but actually condescending, unprofessional and done with the purpose of trying to turn simpletons like you to the board’s side. The upside of this project is 90-10 in the town’s favor. Wang and his partner are willing to put billions of dollars of their own money into this area’s future that will create close to 75,000 construction jobs over the course of 10 years as well as create almost 20,000 permanent jobs. This is our “bail out” and we will never get another chance like this again. That will create a huge tax base that would off set your property taxes not increase them. Try looking into this project and not reading what you hear from retards like Hudes, Santino and Darcy. “We already understand that the project is going to bring in jobs and increase tax revenues, etc., but at what cost. I live near the project site. I already have plenty of places to shop, am not interested in sports, can barely afford my taxes and already have problems getting out of my driveway because of local traffic conditions.” I live near by as well. It’s an empty parking lot you idiot! The traffic expert brought by Wang et al stated that the reason traffic is so bad now is because things aren’t done right. Shocking huh? The DOT and another organization reviewed this expert’s LIGHTHOUSE proposal and stated it will work. THAT IS A FIRST!!!!!!!!!! “All the tax revenues this project is going to bring in won’t lower my taxes” NOT TRUE. It will lower your school taxes right away. The project is slated to give the Uniondale School district apx 4 mil right away for bigger schools as well as produce well over 10 mil a year in taxes for the school budget “So what’s my benefit????” Lower taxes and higher property values MORON! “The Wang Team needs to start answering some of the tougher questions on the benefits of this project”. THEY DID SEVERAL TIMES! “I found it curiously interesting that Wang wasn’t ready to make any commitments to the town on some of the details of his project, like whether or not he intends on selling off parts of the project to other developers, yet is demanding a commitment from the town by 10/3″ – THE PROJECT IS BEING BUILT IN STAGES WITH THEIR OWN MONEY! What the town is asking is like you trying to buy a house and the person selling it to you says they will only sell it to you if you promise to live in it forever. Not possible. If we go into a depression there is no way they could keep going and would have to stop at the phase they are at until we picked up again and then continued. Simple economics the TOH (Should say POS) board knew and dragged out for their own agenda. Being at the meeting I know there is no way the board is going to pass this, they were just trying to get simple minded people like Scott to but into their non-sense. After Nov 3 (Election Day which is why they fear the Oct 3 Date) they will come down with their no-go split decision where they say no project but we’ll rebuild the N.C. for the Islanders & their fans. That is why it is important to vote out these idiots now on Nov 3. That ******** gary Hudes is the senior member of the TOH and is up for re-elction so he should be voted off first. Go Matt Hynes!!!! Same for Kate “I Barely Spoke” Murray. Bring in Kristy Mac! And these are 2 people, Hudes & Murray, I have voted for several times in the past. No more. No Lighthouse Project – No Re-Election! Good luck selling Jewerly Gary! Maybe you can hire Kate as an assistant.

First off I’ve lived on Long Island for over 21 years now and have always been attending Islander games and other events at the arena…and it is a S*** hole to say the least. Everyone on Long Island now is having a hard time financially and with things not looking up it’s about time someone decided to make a change. During the great depression FDR decided to build new roads, buildings, bridges. etc to help get people back working and to help push the economy forward. This is exactly what the Lighthouse is looking to do! What better way to get the unemployed back to work? This project is going to take a a minimum of ten years to complete fully which isn’t really a long time when you look at the size of the project. But that’s ten years of employed Long Islanders to just build it. Imagine what the country and our economical standings will be in ten years. Also if the Islanders leave when there contract is up in 2015 just imagine what that arenas going to look like then. Not to mention that the property values of not only Uniondale but Hempstead and Garden City will go down as well. WE NEED CHANGE! WE NEED A FUTURE! WE NEED THE LIGHTHOUSE! LET’S GO ISLANDERS!

The project to large. It will turn the center of Long Island into downtown Brooklyn. I read somewhere that there will be more than 40 buildings on the 150 acre site. That’s too much for “suburbia.” Something can be done and should be done but not at the expense of transforming Long Island into the sixth borough. I’m for it if it’s scaled back. Hopefully, Wang and the Town board can reach a compromise somewhere in the middle.

I am glad to see a lot of excitement (pro and opposition) to this project, but there is a major factor – this issue is Political. It is Tom Suozzi vs the TOH Republican Machine. If you support this project, vote row A all the way. If you do not support this project vote another way. November 3 is the election.

Of all the teams getting new stadiums, Wang is the only one PAYING for it. We paid for the new Yankee Stadium, really did we need it? We paid for the new ‘Shea’ stadium, ok maybe that one we needed, but why did we have to pay for it? With being said, why can’t the NY Jets come back to NY to play, the same goes for the Giants? If they did, we might get some of that tax money back? If they want to stay in NJ, then let New Jersey pay for them. I’d learn to be happy rooting for the only real NY football team, the Buffalo Bills!

A lot of Long Islanders including myself want the Islanders to stay on the Island. We are proud of them thru bad seasons & good. Hempstead, stop being Ranger Fans & give Wang a chance!!!

Wow!! I can’t believe people are actually against this project. I haven’t lived on Long Island in 8 years. I grew up watching the Islanders, and they are still my team. I’ve gone back to LI several times to visit family and friends. I have been by the Coliseum. It’s a dumping ground.
I heard about this project back in 2004 while working overseas. I wrote in my support and received a cool “Lighthouse Project” baseball hat. It’s now 2009, I still have the hat but no new stadium. I won’t get into the debate about lowering or raising taxes. But I wll say that your property value should shoot up. The Islanders will stay on the island and maybe even become a contender when players actually want to go there.
Even if you have a bad team a great stadium will sell seats. Look at the new Cowboys stadium. I bet they will get about 40,000 people a game just to look at the thing. If the Islanders can pull in a extra 5-7,000 per game. The team becomes more valuable, so the arena it plays in becomes more.
It’s truly amazing that it has taken 5 years since this was first thought of to just get it in front of the Town. Then another 10 years to get it built. We reap what we so people, and if a new arena and sporting complex are to much for you. You will have a empty arena falling apart that even Disney on Ice won’t visit.

Let’s get the facts out that everyone can agree on: 1. The Coliseum needs to be replaced. 2. The general area looks like hell. 3. The hotel there needs to be upgraded. 4. Jobs are needed. 5. Tax revenues are needed.

I understand labor needs jobs, fans don’t want to lose their team. Fine. But a project of this size MUST be planned out. The details are not there yet. You are looking at a ten year buildout. Lots can/will change. The fact that the developers are not willing to commit to not creating an Industrial Development Agency means there could be massive tax givebacks – completely contrary to the idea of tax revenues. There is a great possibility the developers will sell off a lot of the project. Rechler knows commercial real estate. Which one of these guys ever built houses? They haven’t and they will have to sell that off.

While Wang presented his video on Tuesday, an interesting screen came up. It read: “75,000 jobs – 60,000 of them “support jobs” (not construction jobs) and they spanned ten years. Do the math – average of 1,500 jobs per year. Much different than 75,000. Much needed jobs, but not what it was sold as.

Tax revenues – $71M: I find that number a total BS job. There has been no proof that I have seen to make it believable.

School taxes: Wang “cut a deal” (i.e. paid off -choose your favorite) with the Uniondale School District. If you have any idea how NYS works, I can almost guarantee you – when the state sees that money hit the district – they will be the first to have money cut from whatever amount the state had intended to give them, and redistribute it to other districts (or just keep it.) There is absolutely no way they will get the Wang money and a full share from the state.

Assume for the moment that Wang/Rechler keeps the project all for themselves (highly doubtful) and they do not get tax abatements – they will allegedly spend about $4 billion on the project. Do you think they expect a good return on their investment? Of course, otherwise they wouldn’t do it. This is a business deal, not a save the Islanders deal.

Hockey fans: what will you be willing to pay to see an Islanders game? Remember, $4 billion dollars. Someone has to pay for it. Answer: every one of us. Are you willing to pay double, triple or quadruple increases to see a game? That is a given – no matter what anyone says. My other great concern is, the average person/family will not be able to afford much they have to offer: the rents for the stores will be huge, as will the prices they will have to charge. How much will the movies cost? How much will it cost to park for a hockey game or concert? It won’t be $7 or $8. FYI, it now costs $40 to park at a Patriots game in MA.

Labor folks: The jobs are real necessary. The biggest concern: how much labor will be brought in from out of town? Who/what companies on LI have experience in building a ball park, towers, etc? The excuse will be “we had to bring in experts.” The local worker will be slighted to some extent. That is a fact of life. The developers will look to pay as little as they can – that is business.

Regarding overdevelopment: Fully built as proposed will absolutely kill the entire area and region. The infrastructure cannot handle it. You could add six lanes to the Meadowbrook or Hempstead Tpke, and it will not fix the traffic. More lanes mean more cars, not better traffic flow. Also, re: an earlier comment from someone, just because the Country and State think the plans are okay, it is meaningless.

Just a few other thoughts: our economy here on LI only has X amount of expendable income, and can support just so much retail/entertainment/eating out. Increased business for one outlet means a decrease for another. New stores will cause old stores to close. New movie theatres will cause older ones to close. Same with office space. A new concert hall will kill of Jones Beach Theatre and Westbury Music Fair. That leads to lost jobs and lost tax revenues.

I hope this gives all of us something to think about. Up until now, the conversation has been limited to hockey and jobs. Both important to many, and not so much to others. This is much bigger than that. I hope we can all continue the discussion with a level head. I do believe the project can move forward, but it will have to be scaled down to meet the needs of everyone. That is a real plus for Long Island. Best to all.

I hate to admit but you did bring up some very valuable points. I think we all have been a little blinded by our love of hockey and the Islanders. I include myself in that fully.
As for how the state will distribute the school monies fairly is a matter of opinion. But probably not to far off the mark. But is that really Wang’s fault or a uncaring bueracy.
Now as to the cost and the recupiration for Wang and his investors. Of course there in it for the money. You can’t be in position this people are in with out that drive for cash. But Wang has owened the Islanders for nearly 10 years (if not more). This development has been help up for years by the city of Hempstead. And wouldn’t you want somebody that wants to make money. One would think that he’s going to put forth the best product possible if he intends on returning his investment.
So let’s say he does put forward a great product, a shopping mall better that Roosevelt field (or at least the 3-4 on the sout shore). And a grand movie theater that people go to instead of others. It’s that just the law of survival in business. I know it’s sounds uncaring in these cash strapped times but it’s the way it goes.
Now as I said before, I left LI about 8 years ago. Even then the average family income was up there. Am I to beleive that the island has somehow reversed that. To put it plainly people in Nassau County usually make good money. Thery drive nice cars. So I don’t think a hockey game is going to be to far of a stretch. And prices go up, look at the Mets, Yankees,Giants and Jets. I’d much rather pay 40-60 a ticket to see a competitive game at a sleek new arena. Then 10-20 to watch the Islanders lose in grand fashion at a over grown flea market.
Everybody is worried about how this will affect traffic. Well it’s going to, just as concerts at Jones Beach causes traffic, the US Open and Islanders games do now. If the Islanders were any good and had huge crowds the same area would be trouble.
Let’s bring some pride and hope back to the Island. Hempstead, Garden City and Uniondale are crumbling year after year. Let’s make the new Coliseum the heart of LI.

Yes, LI has had/has one of the highest per capita incomes in the U.S. It also has some of the highest taxes/costs. Everyone’s choice to live here, sure, but we get very little for our money. I suppose I can give Wang the benefit of the doubt, somewhat, but he is a business man – a very smart businessman. Personally, I don’t buy the whole “I haven’t given up on you, Long Island” speech. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have held the Islanders hostage, which he absolutely has.

Re: the cannibalizing of the present retail, etc scene, yes – survival of the fittest, to an extent. One should hope the existing businesses will use this wake-up call to offer a better product.

Re: profits – everyone is entitled to make one, that isn’t the issue. It was only to highlight the fact that things we have grown accustomed to being able to afford will change drastically, forever. And insane increases in ticket prices will be one major issue.

Personally – and this regards business, not hockey – Wang made a huge error in buying the Islanders. Don’t care what the reason was he did it for – a bad decision. Further, management has done a horrific job of running that business. He’s the boss, he’s the one responsible. This whole LH project smacks of trying to get out from under it. Deep down, I can’t help feeling this was his plan all along. A guy that sharp doesn’t sit around looking to lose money. He had to have had an agenda from early on. Guys like that just don’t make mistakes like this.

Putting that all aside for the moment, I look at Tuesday’s meeting a the true barometer of his intentions. Whether you like Murray or not, there is not one thing she had asked for days earlier that was inappropriate. That was standard protectionism – something I expect from those elected to represent us. Again, I look at it as business, not personal, not about hockey.

Based in the developers’ inability (or unwillingness) to make some guarantees -like no industrial development agency, no selling off of parts of the project, no guarantees that they will see this project through to the end – sorry, it makes me too suspicious. We’ve seen this all too often. I simply don’t trust anyone involved in this proposal, from either side. Better to play it towards the safe side than stick your neck out all the way. Because if some screws up – and it will – everyone is going to point fingers elsewhere. It won’t me jack, and we will get caught holding the bag.

To take a real simple view of it in its most basic sense, the guy owns a hockey team. He always wanted a new building. One would think he was looking to make it so he could maximize his (hockey) investment. Fine – not a problem. Now he wants to build the new Wally World. It won’t fill one more seat at the hockey games. Everything else is irrelevant to the team.

Time is not of the essence. You can’t “just build it.” There are still way too many unanswered questions. No money has been secured for the infrastructure yet. Nothing from the State, Feds nor County. Nothing is signed, sealed nor delivered. You can’t sign off on a project of any size until that happens.

What really got me was the unpreparedness of the two on Tuesday. Then, after hailing that they would throw in $55 million for infrastructure, turns out that the buses they want to run through the area were part of that money. I haven’t bought any buses lately, but I have to figure they have to be between $3-$5 million a piece. Multiply that by 5 or 12 (both numbers have been mentioned) and you have no budget left. That doesn’t include the trollies.

The point is, with the thousands and thousands of pages of “stuff” that have been submitted, we still have no better idea of what is real or not. They want to set a deadline, well that’s their choice. You can’t force a decision based on that. Yes, the longer you wait, the harder it may be to get a deal done, but you have to have faith in the system to an extent.

The developers have a responsibility to clearly and legitimately make their point for a deal, just as the board will need to justify their final decision.

Lastly (for now anyway,) re: traffic. Absolutely, there is traffic everywhere in this damn place and it will never get better. I can’t get to Sunrise Hwy at 3pm in less than almost 10 minutes, and I live no more than a half mile from there.

I can’t imagine the project, if built out fully as per the current proposal, that traffic and congestion will absolutely close the region down – period. Remember, there are more than a dozen more fairly large projects under way/waiting for approval.

The bottom line is this: the developers say they are doing this for jobs, affordable housing, tax revenues and keeping the youth on LI, all that will add up to a wonderful life, They jobs seem to be way over projected, 400 “affordable apartments/condos will not put a dent into anything whatsoever, it will not keep the youth on the Island, and if the rents/costs are too high – and based on total $$$ to be spent on the project – you will never fill the housing units or the stores, and you will not come even remotely close to the tax revenues. Nothing ever comes close to projections when doing deals of this nature. It’s usually over-promise, under-deliver. Hope I’m wrong on this one.

Once again you have made me put my foot in my mouth. And it is intresting to hear honest questions from the other side of this issue.
I did not attend nor view the Tuesday presentaion to the commitee so I cannot speak upon the lack of preparation Wang and his developers showed. But given that several news sources as well as yourself have said so I’ll bow on that point.
But I think anybody put under 10 straight hours of Q & A will seem unprepared and nervous. And the deadline to me is a ploy by Wang to push their townships hand. Let’s remember though that he has been trying to do this for over 5 years. And has had several proposals sent back and denied (the 60 story Lighthouse Tower??). By no means has this been easy.
I think the two sides need to come together on the property issue. About the right to sell off property. There has to be a common ground where he may sell only to a bidder that is willing to comply with the orginal agreement.
Maybe I’m naive but I don’t think Wang will sell of junks of the property to just anybody and risk alienating his fan base. And the 400 or so condo’s the plan on building will be filled. The train station is not that far and Manhatten (NYC) just keeps growing. And if you make it a small city center and have a capable hockey team people will flock to see it. But your right we must take precautions, you canot jump into the lake without looking. But is 5 years still not enough?? Is having a dilapitated arena and surrounding area better.
As for the traffic, your right the traffic is horrible. No extra lanes is going to deflate the congestion. Some new exits around the arean maybe but not much. But in hockey there are only 41 games a year. That’s a little over a month in actual time ( I do understand that the season lasts from October till May). And I don’t think the extra 2-3,000 residents/visitors a day will make it that much worse. And if the can make a trolly system that connects to the MTA that can help lighten the load.
I’m biased, as I’ve said. Since 2004 I have been rooting for this project. And even with all the worries I believe letting the Islanders leave and the areana fall into disrepair is a far worse option than anything Mr. Wang has proposed.

Losing the team would not be good (and I am not a hockey fan.) Yet- what is an equitable trade-off? A hockey team with about 6,000 hardcore fans (yes, a lot of people see games there every year, but this number comes from an acquaintance that I believe is as close to an expert on this issue as exists.)

Assuming that number is accurate (or even ballpark,) are they worth satisfying over the entire population? I don’t think so, but I also don;t think that should be the issue, either.

As far as Wang losing fans – I think that is the furthest thing from his mind. Remember, the core supporters of his are the hockey fans. As long as you could attend a game, would you honestly care if ACME laundry moved in, or Cleveland COnstruction Co. started to build stuff there. Probably not, s the fans aren’t the issue. The issue is, who controls it? You’re (the County) giving them a 99-year lease. Our grand kids could be dead by the time the lease was up. You cannot give away the farm, i.e. turn over the land to him, and let him decide what to do with it. You have a proposal? Make it and live with it as proposed. No way to weasel out.

I think the idea of the Town asking for a commitment for a 30-year lease is to prevent him from turing around and selling the team tomorrow, 5 years from now, 20(?) and having the new owners move it, shut it down, whatever. Sure he is free to do whatever he wished with the team, except when you are making a deal with him like this. We need protections ’cause anything can happen (and usually does.)

Not sure where you got the 400 condos from. They want to build 2,300 units: 460 “affordable units, 150 rentals and the rest 1,2 and 3-bedroom units and lofts. If filled to capacity, you could be looking at easily 10,000 people, and it could be more. Where do you put 10,000 people? Now add the 10-15,000 fans to a game, while others go to the movies, others go to hang out, others work late… you get the picture. This is big! This is actually a mini-city stuffed into a really big parking lot.

Re: transportation: 12 buses to take you around the area and to the Mineola train station – expected time to get there: 50 minutes. There will not be many takers. Trollies will run just within the complex.

You are looking at approx. 40 buildings going up. As far as time that has passed: everyone thinks the Town has been sitting on this for years. It has been 19 months (Jan ’08.) Before that, it was the developers hashing it out and the County looking at it. What is a reasonable amount of time? Can’t give you a number, but I do know that I want them to get it right, so whatever it takes.

Call me suspicious, but anytime I see someone trying to push something through real quick, I have to think something is up that they don’t want you to know. Sort of like playing chess. You know you made a really bad move and you try to get the other player to make a quick move, hoping they will miss your mistake.

Suspicion also comes into play based on Wang’s past. He tried building another huge project towards the North Shore (forgot the town) and when they dragged their feet and started to question him, he bolted like a spoiled child. That really concerns me. I think he got Rechler involved not only because the guy is a pro (from what I hear,) but also to take some of the focus off himself. But he keeps running his mouth, and that doesn’t help.

Like you said, there has to be middle ground there somewhere. And if he decides to walk soon, then I have to believe he had something up his sleeve all along and got called out on it. Time will tell – it usually does.

I moved off Long Island for to escape the unimanginative, stifling, culture that is poised to kill the Lighthouse. All the LI simpletons who say “duhh, this will ruin the tranquility of my single family home that I can barely afford”, don’t realize that the Lighthouse is the last hope of saving those single family neighnborhoods. By developing an already urban, depressed, area into something that generates business, attracts youth, and expands the tax base, the burden can be shared by entities other than the already over taxed homeowners. Look at White Plains in Westchester which has grown into a booming suburban city much denser than the Lighthouse. Yet Westchesters small single family home towns sstill flourish, infact there’s a hell of a lot less sprawl in Westchester than Long Island. Isolated focused mixed use growth does not encourage sprawl and urbanization in surrounding areas, it actually discourages it. The reason Nassau County has now become Queens is not because of projects like the Lighthouse, its because of the absence of these projects and the balkanized, unplanned growth that has spread in their place.

This being said, I’m a realist, and have no doubt that Kate Murray and her Republican hacks (I’m a Republican btw) will kill this project dead. The aftermath will be the end of the Isles on LI, and worse, 20k average property taxes within the next decade. Those beloved single family homes will become two family (legal or otherwise) as the middle class families that make up central nassau county will not possibly sustain that sort of tax burden. So when the county really goes to hell and Hempstead Tpke looks more like the opening credits to an “All in the Family” rerun, we can all take a look at the cracked asphalt parking lot of the empty Nassau Coliseum and thank Kate Murray and the Town Board for saving surburbia.

Both of you seem to have a good head on for this. And both made compleling arguements about this project.
But let me first start by replying to Gggg. 2,300 units (and I must have misread earlier comments) might be a stretch for the housing. At least from the point of view of congestion and traffic flow. But with any new arena and large project there will be traffic problems. Can that truly be a good reason to shut down a huge project like this.
I believe a 30 year no sell lease would be a fair deal even as low as 20. But you cannot ask anybody to agree to anything longer than that. It is not a feasiable option for any business man. And I cannot see Wang building a nearly billion dollar project with a near top notch hotel to fill the area with horrible looking and smelling, industrial type companies there. But I cannot read Wang’s mind.
The chess analogy was great, and does make one wonder. You can never accept something like this with haste. But the way the township has seemed to rally against it, instead of taking do caution it seems that they are trying to get this killed in the water.
Now as to the 6,000 hockey fans. I hope that is a per game estimate. I would gather that on the dense population of Long Island the fan base has to reach 100-200,000 at least. If not closer to a million. Most fans have left due to the product on the ice. And the dreary conditions of the Coliseum do not make people want to come to the arena. Maybe we need to take a key from Green Bay and make the county own the team. Have Wang sell off stock of the team, just throwing that out there. I know it isn’t feasible but can we just imagine that for one second.
I just believe that there must be some sort of common ground that will make both sides happy. But I believe a complex with a aparment building, a luxuary hotel, revamped Coliseum and shopping complex would hugely benefit the town of Hempstead. Nassau COunty and the Long Island region as a whole.

The 400 housing units was actual 460 of “affordable” units. Total is 2,300.

Re: hockey fans – as it was explained to me, and again this is from someone who I consider a leading expert in the field (the guy is scary knowledgeable) is that there are 6,000 hardcore fans. This number discounts the occasional fan (a few games per year or so), the corporate seats, group sales (again only occasional games.) I believe he is taking into consideration the season ticket holds (not including corporate.) I’m sure this number has tanked over the years as the team has gotten really bad.

I believe the 30 years is for the lease, meaning the team must play there for that long, and would not require Wang to own the team. I think if he got the whole project approved, he would dump the team as soon as he could get the right $$$ for it. Again, my instinct tells me he bought the team for the purpose of the project. Great business minds often plan years ahead (see Trump) to ultimately get what they want.

I think the project could be quite successful if it were greatly scaled down. I also don’t believe one organization should be given total rein of a parcel this large. The developers keep harping on the idea of attracting new industries here, and I think it would have a greater chance of success with several entities involved. But let the Town/County cut those deals, don’t leave it to one organization to sell off parts to do it. The taxpayer gets shorted that way.

Nor sure I mentioned it earlier, but the old Avis property on Old Country Road is awaiting approval for 400,000 SF of mixed use – stores, housing, and who knows what else. That is just around the corner, and awfully close to the Coliseum.

The last point I want to make (for now) is if this got approved in its current form, your head would spin if you saw who/what came out of the woodwork to do massive projects, using this as the precedent. Right now, there is a group looking to commercialize Cedar Creek park in Wantagh/Seaford – the same place that is supposed to deal with the waste generated from the LH Project. That group is offering to build turf fields for multiple sports (great idea) along with several go cart operations. Go carts would do well, but we would be selling off open space we need to preserve. They were slick and got support from several autism groups by offering blocks of exclusive time to them to use the park. Nice idea, but no different than Wang using hockey fans and labor to do his dirty work. And that developer has already said he will not do it unless he gets the go cart biz.

That project is a couple of years away if it were to be approved, and already one of Suozzi’s thousand deputy county execs says how great it would be, generating $1 million per year and 190 jobs. Why open your mouth without seeing real documentation.

You see the pattern? It will only get worse from here. So, with a “responsibly” scaled back plan, I do think the LH Project would be good for LI. It can’t be all or none, because then no one wins.

Right on Ggggg! I tried to make some similar points in a rebuttal that was removed from the chain, but you said it much more eloquently than I could.
I notice Capt. “A-hole” Tom has been pretty silent on the issue since you chimed in. He would probably brand you a “moron who grew up licking the windows on little yellow school buses” too for not agreeing with his opinion.

I know sentiments are strong on both sides of this issue. I applaud those with the plan and the bankbook to want to keep the Islanders here and renovate the coliseum but I dislike the strong arm tactic of saying they will leave without the Lighthouse and insist on this deadline.

Do you have any idea what 40 story buildings means to the future of LI? 40 stories is like the GM building in NYC! Look how dominating those two RexCorp towers across the street are on the landscape. Do we want to be the first to push the red button and destroy Suburbia even further? If this development fails and becomes a site of economic blight imagine what it will do to Hofstra University. Will parents want to send their children to a college surrounded by vacant buildings and into a potentially high crime area? Do we want to urbanize LI so it looks like the place so many try to escape from daily? We already have NYC why rebuild it here.

I support progress, – real progress, but no longer believe this plan as presented is the answer. I like the Islanders but not enough to sacrifice all we have here. At Hofstra I heard remarks about connecting north-south trains, bringing in light rail, having a new place to hang out, building an affordable place for young people to live yet without a plan to address the negative impact upon the fragile water supply, no plan to remediate the already contaiminated water supply in the area which includes a EPA Superfund site and at least 3 DEC sites all within maybe one – one half mile square,and reengineering exits on the highways etc.

Please think folks about your quality of life for say the next 5-10 years. Imagine how long this will all take to build. Massive hauling of everything on our roads to get materials here etc. Who will pay to fix everything that gets over used and damaged in the process? How are small businesses going to survive with road closures, long delays to get places as well as the shift in shopping habits if in fact the new retail gets the business attention being touted? Why would someone ever buy a house near here? Think about your existing investment if you live within ten miles of this new city?

I heard the labor unions loud and clear, I know the details as I married a carpenter. Believe me when I state I am sympathetic to the lack of jobs for these men and women however, a real plan to make improvements to our infastructure, public buildings and encouraging those to do the same will go much farther in the long run in getting you back to work than this one time massive shot. With so many empty places in our downtowns, don’t tell me there will not be a need to renovate these into new businesses if we had some business initatives, incentives etc. for those seeking to start new businesses. Hofstra University even has a program for those entrepreneurialists and their enrollment seems pretty steady. So what is holding folks back from starting is in part the economy, cost per sq foot of rental, etc. Stimulate the local economy by being creative and finding out what we can collectively do to offer start-ups a chance. Then every town in Nassau County benefits. New stores and tradesman making them ready for new customers. These new stores will need workers.

I even asked my own kids and as many as I come in contract with just to hear their response if they would alter their plans and stay on LI if we had such a carnival as the Lighthouse to attract them. The answer was no. And it has nothing to do with what is or is not on LI, including the Islanders as many pointed out they’ve been to the Meadowlands plenty of times already so what is one more trip. In fact, one said they go by train from NYC! It seems clear, many youth/younger folk want to explore new horizons and see new things. And yes, some said, one day I’d like to come back to raise a family here. What is so terrible about this? They view LI as a place to put down roots but at the tender of ages 18-25, they aren’t thinking about roots, they want to test their wings! They go to the city for the clubs, restaurants and to embrace the face we are just a train ride away. They go to Brooklyn because it is new to them. They go to college elsewhere because they want to try living on their own and to learn.

I applaud the patience and due dilligence of all involved in this decision making process especially Kate Murray and the Town Board members. Mr. Wang is indeed a most fortunate Long Islander to have the wealth and ability to contribute to our community. I am grateful for his investment as my family has enjoyed many Islander games and I admit, I really don’t feel like getting on any train to the Meadowlands. However, I also wish to point out, I won’t be getting on any train at all to do my Holiday shopping either. Why would I give up the ability to go by car? Does anyone want to step up and admit it is the ultra convenience not to need to use public transportation? And just to be clear, for four years now I was a family of four drivers with just one car. When there was a major conflict, someone had to ride their bike to work, college or elsewhere. When someone needed to get home and no car was there – we walk or hope someone is heading that way. I have taken the local bus too and it is a fine system and runs often. I have two daily commuters to NYC and the costs are high but they work in NYC so we do what we have to do.

Folks continue to poke negative comments about residents in Garden City and elsewhere who are objecting to the rise of a new city inplace of Mitchell Fields. I suspect a suburban compromise would satisfy most residents and allow the residents of Uniondale to still be able to get across their town in under twenty minutes. Folks who moved to Long Island are seeking a suburban life-style and not needing transportation engineers or architects trying to make Meadowbrook Parkway into a copy of the LA Freeways!

I am hoping all will take a wide and long view of the legacy you wish to be remembered. The challenge you face is tremendous as is the pressure from all sides. I believe we can save the Islanders, have a new coliseum and a lighthouse. But lets make sure you can’t see the lighthouse from Montauk and Manhattan. Too much of a good thing can often just be, just too much.

I grew up on Long Island and I work in the area of this Lighthouse project. I watched Nassau Community College transformation from open fields to a concrete. I watched the Hempstead Plains get transformed to the Nassau Coliseum and Mitchell Field Sports Field. I watched Hofstra expand too. In my hometown I am watching strip malls being built and left empty for years. I saw Newmark & Lewis, Crazy Eddy’s, Circuit City, and others go out of business. All of these are service type businesses that went out due to poor management and poor economic times. The Circuit City around the corner from me is empty since it closed. Economy of long Island needs a manufacturing industry to support it. Back in the good old day it was Grumman. (The owners moved it south due to taxes and economic pressures) There is a need for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar why not build the components here on Long Island. Traffic on Long Island on any given day is a nightmare. I agree something has to be done. What has to be done I don’t know.
Before anyone swears or calls me a stick in the mud. I do support changes. Target in Levittown, the mall in Syosset As an alternative spot, why does not the County Executive sell off Eisenhower Park for the project. The County cannot afford the maintenance of the Aquatic Center. Who needs that area? Nassau College could use the parking space for students and faculty. So bulldoze the coliseum and build the Lighthouse in Eisenhower Park. If the Islander fans are willing to urbanize Long Island let’s do it right. I mean it the county cannot afford to maintain their facilities. We do not need a large park like Eisenhower anymore.
As for tax breaks, the Uniondale school district and maybe the Hempstead school district will benefit from the taxes generated by this site. Remember about Shoreman Nuclear Plant, Shoreman School District benefited from the taxes and nobody else. Then NIMBYs got the project shutdown. Then LILCO had to refund money to the people in Nassau and tax the Suffolk County. Homeowners in Nassau or Suffolk are not going to see any tax break for this project. Let’s remember back (for all those old enough to remember) Roosevelt Raceway. The owners were given a tax break to maintain and operate the raceway. However a few years later sold the property to developers who bought you Target, Home Depot, Famous Dave’s and the Meadow Pointe to mention a few. No more horse racing in Westbury though. But the owners made MILLIONS and the tax payers saw nothing.
As for labor issues, remember lowest bidder wins. (In any area of business) This means an outside company will be building this and the local unions will have no say. There is always a loophole and Mr. Wang being a good businessman will know this. This project is just in beginnings so do not believe any one person or group.

Well the other day I wrote a well thought out response and went to submit it. Something went was wrong and I lost my reply. So I apologize for the delay.

Many of you have brought up good points. But I can’t understand the point of view about young people not wanting to stay on LI. And that the Lighthouse won’t keep them. That is one families opinion, that may or may not be sports fans.

Going to the Meadowlands is not that convienent for people on at the eastern side of the island. So you ask, Why are young people leaving LI?? I believe that’s more of a cash thing then a lifestyle descion. It is so hard for a young person to make enough money and have enough credit lined up to make staying on LI feasible.

I understand the questions being raised. And you cannot just push ahead a project this big without due caution. But people please what am I missing here. I look at these pictures, and say wow this would make that whole Nassau Coliseum area vibrant again. I believe a new arean,sports complex 40 story apartment complex and a renovated Marriot Hotel are badly needed. Period end of story. Maybe the plans for a shopping complex may need some retooling.

If we do not keep the Islanders here on LI, and allow the Coliseum to become more and more outdated taxes will only rise. And the young people will continue to flee in larger and larger numbers. With a new arena more and more shows will think of the Coliseum as Prime spot to hit in the larger NYC area.Without all the hassle of being in NYC, I know Mr. Wang is not doing this just out of the kindness of his heart. But I also don’t think he would build something this big and put so much on the line to see it fail miserably.

LI is getting older and older, and extremly expensive. If we are short sighted on this the NIMBY’s (Not In My BackYard) will have a suburbia with more and more stores closing. And a huge gap between the wealthy and poor.

About the Author

David Winzelberg covers real estate, franchising, culture and white-collar crime for Long Island Business News.